Der erste Tag der Freiheit

The final film shot in his native country by Polish director Aleksander Ford, this work was entered, in hopes of winning a prize, at the 1965 Cannes Festival, although its chances had for the most part been considered as feeble; and such was the result, not only because of Festival competition, but additionally due to its meandrous narrative and intermittently ragged post-production efforts. The film is taken from a play in an existential vein by Leon Kruczkowski, Polish man of letters/politician, and, as in the stage piece, focuses upon the affiliation between those who conquer, and their defeated foes; a potentially equivocal subject, to be sure, yet since very little is made clear pertinent to the interior textures of the primary characters, a viewer may be pitted against the mandates of logic in lieu of noting its characteristics. This ambiguity scores the script's depiction of the various roles from the film's first frame, its storyline set in 1945, as it illustrates the effect made upon a German family by five Polish soldiers during their "first day of freedom", freshly discharged from a German Army prisoner-of-war camp. The family of interest consists of a physician widower, with his three daughters. The Poles are led by an officer, and the dialogue between the Germans and the soldiers concerns such thematic material as honour, integrity, culpability, and condonation, each topic being discussed in the broadest of terms. Scripted dialogue is, in fact, the spine of the film, through its initial portion, and appropriately so, since the play is an erudite exercise, fabricated by a man who successfully fused dual vocations: dramatist and public official. Unfortunately, the too-often politically overzealous and paranoiac makeup of fanatical Polish Communist Party bureaucrat Ford establishes a consistent turning away from the labyrinthine confrontation that he had carefully created and, after conceding to audiences that the "defeated" Germans had a good deal of fight left in them, issues of psychologic intensity that he has raised become lost amid stereotypical battle scenes. A fairly smart beginning skids towards an ending that weighs against what has preceded it. Ford's propensity for left-wing proselytization was eventually defeated by himself, thereby effectively terminating his directorial career. The film is erratically edited, but nonetheless benefits from generally able performances by the cast, with Tadeusz Lomnicki a standout as a conflicted Polish officer. Camera-work and lighting are also estimable for this rather difficult to locate production that has been released solely in VHS format, by Polart. This film is shot in black and white, and there are English subtitles of largely sufficient accuracy.

Amended version. Aleksander Ford's life story is more interesting than his films (I've seen three.) He was Jewish, became a Marxist in his youth, directed his first film when he was 21 and was one of Poland's leading directors throughout the 30s. Escaping to the Soviet Union when the Nazis invaded he became head of the Polish People's Army film crew, and when the Soviets "liberated" Poland he became the leading director there. He was head of Film Polski, able to censor colleagues' efforts, and even denounced one colleague to the NKVD, leading to the man's arrest and torture and the end of his career in features. Ford was also professor of the National Film School in Lodz, where his pupils included Wadja and Polanski. Then things went wrong. His proteges outshone him, starting with Wajda's great war trilogy, and in 1968 the party he's served so slavishly expelled him.....for being Jewish (Gomulka's anti-Semitic purge.) He want into exile and finally committed suicide in, of all places, Florida. Before his fall he'd been entrusted with two big-budget nationalist films, "Young Chopin" (1952) and "Knights of the Teutonic Order", also known as "Black Cross" (1960.) The latter is way too long, and I gave up long before the end. Both film are unlikely to appeal to non-Polish viewers, as the host of historical characters will be unknown to them, and both are frankly dull. "First Day of Freedom", the last film he made before his fall, is more accessible and interesting. It's set in 1945, like many films, but the basic premise (released Polish POWs arrive in an abandoned German town, where they meet a German doctor and his daughters) is an unusual one, and although the stage origins are plain it held my interest and has a strong ending. It also benefits from two strong leads, Tadeusz Lomnicki and Beata Tyszkiewicz, who will be known to film buffs for their work in films made by later, better and less conformist Polish directors. If the above hasn't put you off, these three films are all available on DVD with English subtitles, from companies I'm not allowed to mention!

It's almost impossible to watch this movie without it's director in mind. Aleksander Ford was commonly known as "The Car". From 1945 to 1968 he was the most influential filmmaker in the country. Due to his efforts Polish film industry became more professional and efficient than it ever was before World War II. Only he could afford to direct big-budget, lavish movies, like "Chopin's Youth" (1952). Thanks to this, he was very popular and recognizable. But as a director he was rather conservative. That became evident with the rise of The Polish Film School. The likes of Andrzej Wajda and Andrzej Munk brought new quality to the cinema. Their movies, fresh and powerful, deservedly won the international acclaim. In comparison with them the works of Aleksander Ford looked very old-fashioned, even naive.

Ford, who wanted to be in the center of attention, was jealous of his former pupils' artistic successes. He tried to make his own contribution to Polish Film School movement. The first attempt - the screen version of Marek Hlasko's popular novel - wasn't too successful. "The Eighth Day of the Week" (1958) was first bashed by the author of the book, then banned by the authorities as subversive. Ford has rehabilitated himself in the eyes of communist regime by making "Knights of the Teutonic Order" (1960), big-scale historical spectacle and instant hit. But he still wanted to direct a movie similar to the great works of The Polish Film School. What was the result of his second try?

First of all, Ford was more cautious. Learned from mistake, he didn't choose contemporary settings. Instead he decided to adapt Leon Kruczkowski's play. According to the title, "The first day of freedom" was set in 1945. Kruczkowski asks here about about possibility of coexistence between two former enemies: Polish and German nation. For Aleksander Ford it was the excellent choice. The subject was ideal for Polish Film School movie, and yet still unexplored by any director. And completely safe from political point of view, so this time there was no need to worry about censorship.

"The first day of freedom" is all about the painful confrontation. The group of Polish officers, freshly freed from the camp, arrives to the small German city, completely devastated by the war. One of the few remaining citizens are the German doctor, Mr. Rhode (Tadeusz Fijewski) and his two young daughters, Luzzi (Elzbieta Czyzewska) and Inga (Beata Tyszkiewicz). Especially the latter is less than happy with the end of the war. Her fiancé, SS member, has now become the criminal in the eyes of the law. And in the last day of war she was raped by former prisoners. When her father gives shelter to the Polish officers, led by honorable Jan (Tadeusz Lomnicki), she doesn't hide the hostility toward them. By contrast, her sister adopts rather quickly to the situation and falls in love with one of the officers. Will Inga accept the reality and overcome her prejudice? Her dilemma seems to be typical for both German and Polish nation, who must learn to live in peace. After the five years of hatred and killing one another, it won't be easy at all...

As an faithful adaptation of Kruczkowski's work, this movie works fine. Most of the time it succeeds in avoiding the static, theatrical feeling of the play. Ford was acknowledged master of the spectacle, and it shows here. Some of the scenes are impressive. Probably the most noticeable part is the prologue set in prisoner camp, where Polish officers, gathered in large barrack, are waiting to learn their fate. This scene, played mostly in silence, is very suspenseful. The look on the faces of the prisoners is more telling than words. The dramatic finale is almost as good, and it contains Ford's usual trademark: the house with devastated, winding stairs. As a symbol it's in the right place, as it represents the sad aftermath of war. All in all, "The first day of freedom" is maybe not a masterpiece of The Polish Film School, but a quite satisfying entry.

Unfortunately, this was Aleksander Ford's last Polish movie. In 1968 he was condemned by authorities because of his Jewish origins and expelled from the country. This fall from grace has the devastating effect on him. He has never recovered from depression, and all his foreign, ill-fated movies are the testimony to it. Once a Car, now an outcast, he committed suicide in 1980.